I don't mind that my 09 A4 has a 30-pin. The only thing is the cord is in the glovebox and I have to leave my phone in there, which means I can't easily use Spotify when I'm stopped at lights. I also don't like that I have to open and close the glovebox every time I get in the car. On top of this, the car reads the Apple adapter as a device, so if I don't plug my phone in within 60 seconds of starting the car, I get an error message that the device cannot be found. That the A3 has the connector in the center console makes this better. Don't complain that you had to pay for the adapter. Things are expensive and if you want to use them you have to pay for them. There's nothing wrong with that.

Yep, auto makers are slow to adapt. My 2000 Miata still has a freaking Tape Deck in it. 2000, as in Napster era. No input jack. Our 2013 Pilot has RCA input plugs. No HDMI! What devices are you supposed to connect to it? A Playstation 1?

I love Audi, but I have to agree that this practice is just stupid. My mom's 2013 Tiguan has this same problem. The connection is in the armrest so it's impossible to use the phone while driving. I think I looked up the cost of a different adapter (rather, a replacement connector for the 30-pin one) and it was expensive, but not $81. I don't even think it was $65. She just uses Bluetooth streaming, which is perfectly fine as long as you keep your phone plugged in. That being said, I know the A3's MMI system is the newest model, and I think that using certain apps requires that you have your device plugged in, not just connected by Bluetooth. Still, if my 2009 Civic has a USB port (like most new cars do), there's no reason why Audi or VW can't implement the same design. At the very least, ask the customer which one they'll need when they purchase the car. If I had been in the same position, I would have asked the dealer to include the Lightning adapter with the rest of the car.

Yep, auto makers are slow to adapt. My 2000 Miata still has a freaking Tape Deck in it. 2000, as in Napster era. No input jack. Our 2013 Pilot has RCA input plugs. No HDMI! What devices are you supposed to connect to it? A Playstation 1?

Most inexpensive portable DVD players have RCA outs, not HDMI, so this isn't as baffling as a tape deck in a car deep into the CD era (or does it have both CD and tape)

My 2010 Jetta has the 30 pin connector with the super short cord in the center console and I'm okay with that. I'm still using a fourth gen (I think) ipod touch, which I use solely for music. A lot of people are still using older Apple products which wouldn't work with the lightning cable. A usb port would have be nice, but I already have the 30 pin connector, an aux jack, a SD card slot in the dash, the 6 disc cd changer, and satellite radio, all as part of the factory system. I have more than enough ways to listen to my music.

I'm not sure what the benefit would be to having a proper cable. Yes, it's stupid that my A3 came with the 30-pin (for $300+) but doesn't bluetooth accomplish the same thing by playing music off my iPhone 6 ?